Expandable garden hose

ABSTRACT

A flexible garden hose having an inner tube member made from elastic material and an outer tube member made from a non-elastic material. The inner tube member is secured to the outer tube member only at an inlet coupler and an outlet coupler. The inlet coupler is constructed to secure to a water supply provided from a conventional household water spigot. The outlet coupler is coupled to a flow restrictor allowing the inner tube member to equalize in pressure with pressurized water received from the water supply. Pressurized water expands the elongated inner tube member longitudinally along a length of the inner tube member and laterally across a width of the inner tube member thereby substantially increasing the length of the hose to an expanded condition wherein the hose contracts to a substantially decreased length when there is a decrease in pressurized water.

RELATED APPLICATION

In accordance with 37 C.F.R. 1.76, a claim of priority is included in anApplication Data Sheet filed concurrently herewith. Accordingly, under35 U.S.C. §119(e), 120, 121, and/or 365(c) the present invention claimspriority, as a continuation-in-part of, U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/654,832 “Expandable Hose Assembly Coupling Member”, filed Oct. 18,2012 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/488,515, entitled “Expandable Hose Assembly”, filed Jun. 5, 2012 andissued Oct. 23, 2012 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,291,942, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/289,447entitled “Expandable and Contractible Hose” filed Nov. 4, 2011 andissued Oct. 23, 2012 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,291,941. The contents of whichthe above referenced applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of water hoses and inparticular to a garden hose that expands when pressurized water isintroduced and modulated by a flow restrictor positioned at the outletof the garden hose.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional garden hoses are typically constructed from rubber or otherresilient flexible material such as synthetic rubber, thermo plasticrubber or the like photochemical derivatives. A notable problemencountered with conventional garden hoses relates to the storage of thehose when not in use. Garden hoses can be stored on a hose reel, placedwithin a storage container, or simply left on the ground. While storagedevices are practical in certain situations, in many instances theconsumer cannot use or has no desire to employ a storage container. Forexample, a consumer may live in an apartment or small condo and wouldlike to have the benefit of a garden hose for plant watering, carwashing, or the like but does not have room for a garden hose storagedevice. The hose might be left in the trunk of a vehicle or coiled up inthe corner of a patio with an effort to consume as little space aspossible. Another example would be the owner of a boat, RV or plane whomay wish to leave the hose with the vehicle. Such places are impracticalfor hose storage containers.

There are many situations where it is beneficial to store a garden hosein as little a space as possible. If the consumer does not have a devicefor storing the garden hose then they must try to organize the hose onthe ground in a way as to not entangle the hose within itself. Ifimproperly organized, the garden hose will tend to kink when uncoiled.This problem is typically encountered by the average homeowner who usesthe garden hose infrequently wherein improper storage of a hose canresult in the development of kinks. Garden hoses can be made with thicksidewalls to prevent kinking but result in heavy and cumbersome waterhoses. Fiber reinforcements can also be used, such as woven tapes orknitting followed by the addition of an outer coating, all of which addto the weight of a garden hose and do not have a shortened length forstorage. For this reason, it is of great benefit to have a garden hosethat is light in weight, contractible in length, and kink resistant.

Retractable garden hoses are known to use steel wires formed in a coiledshape with a vinyl tube, the steel wires wind through the vinyl tube sothat it will normally be in a coiled or rolled configuration when not inuse. When pressurized water is introduced into the garden hose, the hoseis unwound. When the pressurized water is removed, the water hose isrecoiled to a rolled position. Examples of such hoses include U.S. Pat.No. 2,814,529; U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,779 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,966,121.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,539 discloses a self elongating oxygen hose forstowable aviation crew oxygen mask. The supplemental gas assembly suchas used for aircraft crews is provided which includes a mask adapted tofit over at least the nose and mouth of a wearer, together with aflexible, self-elongating hose assembly and a stowage box for receivingthe mask and hose assembly.

The transition zone between a garden hose and pressurized source ofwater, or the garden hose and delivery point, is accomplished by acoupling. Conventional couplings provide a fluid connection between aspigot and a garden hose. However the prior art fails to disclose acoupling capable of attaching to a flexible garden hose having anexpandable inner tube member made of a flexible fluid carrying materialand an outer sleeve made of a fixed length fabric material. Forinstance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,185 discloses a flexible hose reinforcedby armature layers made of flexible cables disposed helically and isattached at least at one end by compression of said layers against rigidpieces, characterized by the supporting elements and gripping elements,which are coaxial, having non-adhesive conical compression surfaceswhich diverge toward the end and by at least one wedge provided withslits being driven between reinforcing layers to ensure compression. Thetubular sleeve is attached to a rigid assembly wherein ends of thelayered pairs are engaged in the conical annular space between thecoaxial supporting element and gripping elements.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,622 discloses a garden hose having a protectiveshell section and a flexible strain relief section releasably attachedto the shell section. The hose is sealably attached to a stem portion ofa coupling by a brass ferrule, the manner by which the hose is attachedto the stem portion is stated as being well known in the art. After theend of the hose having the ferrule slipped over the stem portion so thatthe end of the hose abuts the receive portion, a device is inserted intothe stem portion for expanding it thereby sandwiching the hose betweenthe stem portion and the ferrule for locking the hose to the coupling.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,866 discloses a garden hose assembly having adeformable section that allows a portion of the hose to be coiled arounda support for holding the end of the hose in a desired position.Connectors have coupling sterns which are inserted within a base tubeand such coupling stems are then radially expanded into ferrules orcorrugations.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,800 discloses a flexible tube formed so thatadjacent coils are formed while in a contracted position, the tube isextendible by straightening of the coils. A fitting is formed from anelongate, substantially cylindrical externally barbed portion and a diskshaped head. A bore extends through the fitting which is smaller thanthe inner diameter of the tubing. The fitting portion is inserted intoan end of the tube and held therein by an interference fit with barbsinhibiting removal axially of the tube.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,610 discloses a flexible water spray wand forconnection to a standard garden hose, having a housing connectable at alower end to the garden hose and at an upper end to a flexible tubeassembly connected at an opposite end to a spray nozzle. The flexibletube has an outlet fitting which comprises an externally barbed portionand an externally threaded portion with an annular shouldertherebetween. The barbed portion fits snugly within outlet end portionof the hose with annular shoulder which abuts an outlet end portion ofthe ribbed tube, which can be affixed by silver soldering or adhesives.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,527 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,448 disclose a linearlyself-actuated hose for use in transporting fluids. A hose has a biasingspring that extends along the full length, and can comprise single ormultiple springs and/or multiple diameter spring coils. The spring iscovered with hose cover material on the outside and hose cover materialon the inside to form a sealed hose and are bowed inward or outwardradially between the individual spring coils depending on the intendeduse of hose. On the end of the hose is mounted a nozzle end which can bedesigned with standard garden hose threads. The nozzle end comprises aninner crimp ring, and outer crimp ring which also provides threads, anda water restriction ring. The hose can be trapped between crimp rings toprovide a compression fit. Crimp rings are also crimped onto each otherso that they form a right unit that will not fall apart during use.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,955,189 discloses a garden hose assembly that includesan elongated and flexible tubular member that includes an open firstend, an open second end and a peripheral wall extending between thefirst and second open ends. A cross-section taken traversely to alongitudinal axis of the tubular member has a generally oblong shapewhen the tubular member is filled with a fluid and a substantiallyflattened shape when the tubular member is not filled with a fluid. Maleand female couplers are defined as conventional garden hose couplers.

Therefore, what is needed in the art is a flexible garden hose that canbe coupled to a conventional household water spigot and will extend inlength when pressurized water is introduced into the hose, thepressurized water being regulated at an outlet of the hose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed is a flexible garden hose that attaches to a conventionalhousehold water spigot and will expand upon the presence of pressurizedwater introduced into the hose, the expansion made possible by controlof the pressurized water through use of a restrictor juxtapositioned toan outlet of the hose. The garden hose can expand longitudinally by useof an elastic water proof inner tube member positioned within a softfabric outer tube member. The coupling members are constructed fromplastic using a crimp ring that allows assembly and servicing withoutthe use of tools.

Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide agarden hose that automatically expands longitudinally and automaticallyexpands laterally upon the application of water pressure as controlledby a flow restrictor positioned along an outlet of the hose.

It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a gardenhose that automatically contracts upon release of water pressure fromwithin the hose.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a gardenhose that is relatively light compared to a conventionalnon-expanding/non-contracting hose of a similar length.

It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide agarden hose that will not kink or become entangled upon itself when inuse.

It is still a further objective of the present invention to provide acoupling that can be made of plastic to provide for a lightweight,non-corroding coupling that allows a consumer to repair the hose withouttools.

Other objectives and advantages of this invention will become apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with anyaccompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration andexample, certain embodiments of this invention. Any drawings containedherein constitute a part of this specification and include exemplaryembodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects andfeatures thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a plane view of a coiled flexible garden hose of the instantinvention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side view of the present invention in acontracted position;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the outlet coupling;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal view of the present invention in an expandedposition;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the inlet coupling;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view, perspective view of a section of thegarden hose of the present invention taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view, perspective view of a section of thegarden hose of the present invention taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a pictorial view of the garden hose with a flow restrictor ina contracted state concealing indicia placed on the outer sidewall;

FIG. 9 is a pictorial view of the garden hose in an expanded state witha flow restrictor and spray nozzle further illustrating viewable indiciaon the outer wall;

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the male outlet coupling;

FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the female inlet coupling; and

FIG. 12 is a cross section view of the inner and outer hose attached toa coupling.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in variousforms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be describeda presently preferred, albeit not limiting, embodiment with theunderstanding that the present disclosure is to be considered anexemplification of the present invention and is not intended to limitthe invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.

Referring in general to the Figures, set forth is an expandable gardenhose of the present invention. The garden hose is self-expanding uponthe introduction of pressurized water within the hose, andself-contracting upon release of water from within the hose. The gardenhose 10 is composed of two separate and distinct tubes, an inner tubemember 14 formed from a material that is elastic and can expand 2 to 6times its relaxed or unexpanded length, and outer tube member 12 formedfrom a non-elastic, relatively soft and bendable fabric tubular webbingmaterial. In the preferred embodiment the inner tube member 14 is anatural latex rubber although other materials which have elasticproperties similar to rubber can be used. The elastic inner tube member14 expands radially outwardly or laterally, with respect to its length.The radial expansion of the inner tube member 14 is constrained by themaximum diameter of the non-elastic outer tube member 12. The preferredmaterials used to form the non-elastic outer tube member 12 are braidedor woven nylon, polyester, or polypropylene. The requirements of theouter tube member 12 material are that it be soft, bendable,non-elastic, and should be strong enough to withstand internal pressuresto accommodate the highest water pressures typically found in a pump ormunicipal water supply with a safety factor of about 2.5. For example,while conventional pressure supplies are in the range of 30-60 psi, itis possible for a pump system to provide up to 100 psi. For this reasonit is recommend that the inner and outer tube combination be capable ofhandling pressures up to 250 pounds per square inch, (psi).

The garden hose 10 employs a female inlet coupler 18 at a first end forconnecting to a conventional household water spigot and a male outletcoupler 16 at a second end for connecting to a flow restrictor and/or aspray nozzle. The coupler members are constructed from plastic and aredesigned to be assembled without tools.

The inlet coupler 18 includes a female threaded portion 28 rotatablyattached to a first threaded annular collar 71. The female threadedportion 28 is constructed to receive the male threads of a conventionalwater spigot 23, faucet or the like valve typically found on theexterior of a residence. Most water faucets on residences employ astandard size male coupler or fitting. A gasket, not shown, can furtherprovide a seal between the female threaded portion 28 and the waterconnection. The annular coupler 71 includes an inlet tubular extensionsection 36 extending therefrom having an end 73 insertable into a firstopen end of the inner tube member 14. A flow thru aperture 38 within theinlet coupler 18 allows water to flow through the coupler. The end 73has an angular face that allows for ease of inserting into the firstopen end of the inner tube member 14 and may include a barb 75 thatprovides frictional engagement to the interior wall of the inner tubemember 14. In addition to the barb 75, the use of annular ribs 77enhance the engagement between the first end of the inner tube member 14and the inlet tubular extension section 36. Upon placement of the firstopen end of the inner tube member 14 onto the inlet tubular extensionsection 36, a first ferrule 79 having an inner wall 81 adapted forplacement over a portion the first open end of the inner tube member 14that is positioned over inlet tubular extension section, preferably overthe annular ribs 77. In the preferred embodiment the ferrule is a collethaving a cylindrical inner surface and a conical outer surface. An outerwall 83 of the first ferrule 79 is sized for placement with a first openend of the outer tube member 12. In a preferred embodiment the firstferrule 79 include kerf cuts 85 that allow for ease of compression ofthe first ferrule 79 onto the inner tube member 14 when collar member87, having an inner surface 89 constructed and arranged to thread ontothe annular collar 71, crimps the first open end of the outer tubemember 12 between the first ferrule 79 and the collar member 87.Further, the collar member 87 engages the first ferrule 79 providing africtional engagement to seal the first open end of the inner tubemember 14 to the inlet tubular extension section 36 allowing the gardenhose assembly to be pressurized with water without leakage. The femaleinlet coupler 18 employs conventional threads commonly employed for thewater hose fitting. The inlet coupler 18 may include a hex shaped wall19 to allow for ease of holding the inlet coupler 18 while the innertube member 14 is being installed on the inner tubular extension section36, as well as the tightening of the second collar member 87 so as toprevent marring of the coupler member during installation or removal.The use of a box shaped, triangular shaped or the like shaped wall toprovide a gripping surface is contemplated by this disclosure.

The male outlet coupler 16 is formed from a threaded coupling section20, an annular coupler 24 having a gripping portion 22, and an outlettubular extension section 32 extending therefrom. A flow thru aperture31 is centrally disposed along a longitudinal axis of the male outletcoupler 16. The end 37 of the outlet tubular extension section 32 isinsertable into a first open end of the inner tube member 14 forsecurement thereto. In a preferred embodiment, the end 37 includes abarb 39 having an angular face that allows for ease of inserting intothe second open end of the inner tube member 14 yet provides frictionalengagement to the interior wall of the inner tube member 14. In additionto the barb 39, the use of annular ribs 41 enhance the engagementbetween the inner tube member 14 and the tubular extension section 32providing a watertight seal. Upon placement of the second open end ofthe inner tube member 14 onto the tubular extension section 32, a secondferrule 43 having an inner wall 45 adapted for placement over the secondopen end of the inner tube member 14 that is positioned over the ribs41. In the preferred embodiment the ferrule is a collet having acylindrical inner surface and a conical outer surface with one or morekerf cuts along its length when squeezed. An outer wall 47 of the secondferrule 43 is sized for placement within the second open end of theouter tube member 12 thereon. In a preferred embodiment the secondferrule 43 include cuts 49 that allow compression of the ferrule 43 ontothe inner tube member 14 by use of a collar member 51 having an innersurface 53 constructed and arranged to thread onto the annular coupler24 thereby crimping the outer tube member 12 member between the ferrule43 and the collar member 51. Further, the collar member 51 engages theferrule 43 sealing the inner tube member 14 to the outlet tubularextension section 32 allowing the hose assembly to be pressurized withwater up to 250 psi. The gripping portion 22 and the collar member 51can include an outer surface texture to allow ease of assembly uponthreading of the collar member 51 to the annular coupler 24. Thethreaded coupler section 20 employs conventional threads commonlyemployed for a water hose typically used around the home and garden. Theflow thru aperture 31 allows for uninterrupted water passage and theoutlet threaded coupler section 20 is available for attachment to a flowrestrictor that is capable of preventing the flow of water such ason/off valve 21 and/or a conventional spray nozzle 25. The male outletcoupler 16 may include a hex shaped wall 17 to allow for ease of holdingthe male outlet coupler 16 while the inner tube member 14 is beinginstalled on the outlet tubular extension section 32, as well as thetightening of the second collar member 51 so as to prevent marring ofthe outlet coupler during installation or removal. The use of a boxshaped, triangular shaped or the like shaped wall to provide a grippingsurface is contemplated by this disclosure.

During assembly, the non-elastic outer tube member 12 is attached andconnected to the inner tube member 14 only at the first end and secondend by the male outlet coupler 16 and the female inlet coupler 18. Theouter tube member 12 is otherwise unattached, unconnected, unbonded, andunsecured to the elastic inner tube member 14 along the entire length ofthe inner tube member 14 between the first end and the second end andthus the outer tube member 12 is able to move freely with respect to theinner tube member 14 along the entire length of the inner tube member 14when the garden hose expands or contracts.

The garden hose 10 of the present invention is illustrated in itscontracted condition in FIGS. 1, 2, 7 and 8. In this condition, theinner tube member 14, which is elastic, is in a relaxed contractedcondition wherein there are no forces being applied to the inner tubemember 14 to expand or stretch it. The amount of water that may residein the tube in its contracted condition is much less than while in itsexpanded condition. Also it should be noted that the outer tube member12 is not in a bonded contact with the inner tube member 14 when thegarden hose is in this contracted condition, there will be a space 15between the inner tube member 14 and the outer tube member 12 (FIG. 7).As illustrated in FIG. 7, the thickness of the wall of the inner tubemember 14, in the contracted position, is relatively large compared tothe thickness of the inner tube member 14, in the expanded position,FIG. 6. The expansion of the elastic inner tube member 14 laterally, isthe result of an increase in the water pressure within the inner tubemember 14. This increase in water pressure also results in the expansionof the length of the elastic inner tube member 14. The expansion of theinner tube member 14, both laterally and longitudinally, results in adecrease in the wall thickness of the inner tube member 14, an increasein the diameter of the inner tube member 14 thus increasing the volumeof water that can flow through the inner tube member 14. This decreasein wall thickness is illustrated in FIG. 6, wherein the inside diameterof the inner tube member 14 has been expanded and extended because of anincrease of the water pressure and volume within the inner tube member14.

In the expanded or extended condition, illustrated in FIGS. 4, 6 and 9,the inner tube member 14 is expanded or stretched. In this expandedcondition the non-elastic outer tube member 12 constrains the lateralexpansion of inner tube member 14. The outer tube member 12 is alsotaut, smooth, and relatively flat along its length in this extendedcondition. Since the outer tube member 12 will not expand laterally orlongitudinally, the actual length and width of the outer tube member 12determines the maximum length and maximum width of the garden hose 10 inits expanded condition. Thus the diameter and length of the outer tubemember 12 determines the diameter and length of the water hose of thepresent invention upon the application of water pressure to the interiorof the elastic inner tube member 14. This diameter and length of thenon-elastic outer tube member 12 is the final diameter and the finallength of the garden hose 10 when it is in its expanded condition and inuse to transport or deliver water.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the garden hose 10can automatically expand from 2 to 6 times its contracted length uponthe introduction of pressurized water into the tube, the pressure wouldneed to be at least 20 psi. For example, in one embodiment a ten foothose in a contracted condition would automatically expand to 20 feetwhen pressurize water is supplied to the interior of the inner tubemember 14 of the garden hose. In another embodiment, a ten foot hose ina contracted condition would automatically expand to 60 feet whenpressurize water is supplied to the interior of the inner tube member 14of the garden hose.

The water pressure within the garden hose is accomplished by introducingwater under pressure into the inlet of the garden hose and restrictingthe flow of the water out of the outlet of the garden hose by use of aflow restrictor. The flow restrictor may be on/off valve 21 or a spraynozzle 25 capable of turning the water on and off. For example, thefemale inlet coupler 18 of the present invention 10 is secured to awater spigot 23 such as that found on the exterior wall of a home. Theflow restrictor 21 is then secured to the outlet coupler 16 of the hoseand placed in an off position so that water cannot pass. When the spigot23 is opened the pressurized water enters the garden hose 10 andprevented from exiting the flow restrictor while in the off position,wherein the hose is expanded to its predefined length as limited by theouter tube member 12. For instance, a relatively normal pressure formunicipal water is about 60 psi wherein the water within the hose isequalized to the same pressure. The flow restrictor 21 is preferableattached to a spray nozzle 25 or is part of the spray nozzle. The spraynozzle 25 can be a conventional water spray nozzle which varies the rateand spray pattern of water exiting from the nozzle but is capable ofshutting off the exit of pressurized water. Many spray nozzles areL-shaped so as to be able to be comfortably gripped and used by anindividual and have a pivoting on-off handle which operates an internalflow restrictor valve. A spray nozzle provides various amounts ofrestriction of water at the end of the garden hose depending on howlarge the opening in the nozzle is. The smaller the opening in thenozzle, the more the nozzle restricts the release of water at the end ofthe garden hose, and the higher the pressure and water volume inside thegarden hose. The larger the opening in the nozzle, the less the nozzlerestricts the release of water at the end of the garden hose, and thelower the pressure and water volume inside the garden hose. If the flowof water at the other end of the present invention was turned off andtotally restricted, the psi inside the inner tube member would be thesame as the pressure coming from the house, 60 psi. At this pressure,the inner tube member 14 and the outer tube member 12 in the presentinvention would expand to its maximum length. As the water at the end ofthe garden hose is released, the pressure becomes reduced inside thegarden hose and the garden hose begins to contract. However, the presentinvention will remain fully expanded even when the pressure at theopposite end is reduced below the typical pressure of 60 psi coming froma house. In one example, the water pressure coming from the house was 60psi and the water pressure exiting the nozzle at the other end of thewater hose was 35 psi. This 35 psi of pressure inside the elastic innertube member 14 was enough pressure to cause the inner tube member 14 toexpand laterally and longitudinally until its lateral and longitudinalexpansion became constrained by the non-elastic outer tube member 12 andexpanded to the maximum length and width of the non-elastic outer tubemember 12. In a preferred embodiment, the garden hose 10 expands fromten feet in length in its contracted condition to fifty feet in lengthin its expanded condition. Alternatively an on/off flow restrictor 21can be used in combination with a spray nozzle 25 allowing the consumera device to immediately turn off water to the spray nozzle.

FIG. 12 illustrates how the coupler is secured to the hose wherein theinner tube member is placed over end 73 having an angular face thatallows for ease of inserting into the inner tube member 14 yet providesfrictional engagement to the interior wall of the inner tube member 14.Barb 75 enhances the engagement between the inner tube member 14 and thetubular extension section 36 providing a watertight seal. Upon placementof the end of the inner tube member 14 onto the inlet tubular extensionsection 36, a first ferrule 79 is positioned over inner tube member 14.Outer tube member 12 is placed over the outer surface of the firstferrule 79. Collar member 87 is constructed and arranged to thread ontoan annular collar thereby sandwiching the outer tube member 12 betweenthe first ferrule 79 and the collar member 87. Further, the collarmember 87 engages the first ferrule 79 providing a frictional engagementto prevent the inner tube member 14 from separating from the inlettubular extension section 36 allowing the garden hose assembly to bepressurized with water without leakage.

A feature of the present invention is the savings in weight of thegarden hose. The garden hose 10 in its contracted condition isrelatively light an upon expansion the weight of hose does not increase,only the weight of the water within the hose changes the dynamics. Also,because the garden hose does not contain any metal components such assprings, wire mesh or other metal parts along the entire length of thegarden hose between the male connector and the female connector a tenfoot contracted garden hose may weigh less than 2 pounds and in theexpanded condition, (not counting the weight of the water inside theexpanded garden hose) the fifty foot garden hose would also only weighless than 2 pounds. In contrast however, a conventional rubber ½ inch ID50 foot garden hose could weigh up to 12 pounds. This savings in weightenables the garden hose of the present invention to be easily carried,easily dragged, easily handled and easily used by anyone who uses thegarden hose but especially by individuals who do not posses exceptionalstrength or do not want to drag, carry or lug around heavy, bulky,conventional rubber hoses.

Another feature of the present invention is that the outer tube member12 is reduced or decreased in length when there is no pressure withininner tube member 14. With no pressure or volume in the elastic innertube member 14 the inner tube member automatically contracts. Thecondition of the outer tube member 12 when the inner tube member 14 isin the contracted condition is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 8. Becausethe outer tube member 12 is unsecured to the inner tube member 14 alongthe entire length of the hose between the first end and the second end,the soft fabric material of the outer tube member 12 can move freelywith respect to the inner tube member 14. The fact that the outer tubemember 12 can move freely with respect to the inner tube member 14 alongthe entire length of the garden hose enables the outer tube member 12 tobecome folded, compressed and tightly gathered around the outside of thecircumference of the inner tube member 14 along its length in thecontracted condition when there is not water pressure within the innertube member 14. This folded, compressed and tightly gathered conditionof the outer tube member 12 prevents the garden hose 10 from kinking andalso helps prevent it from becoming entangled upon itself. Thus, anempty garden hose 10 in the contracted condition is easily storedwithout worry of the garden hose kinking or becoming entangled, as mostconventional garden hoses do. This tendency of the garden hose 10 to notbecome kinked or entangled enables a user to store the garden hose 10 ina very small space with no worry of having to untangle or unkink thegarden hose when it is removed from storage and used. A user of thepresent invention can take garden hose 10 from a stored condition,secure a nozzle or other water restrictor on one end of the garden hose,secure the garden hose 10 to a water faucet and turn on the waterwithout the fear of the garden hose becoming entangled or kinked orwithout the need to untangle or unkink the garden hose.

After they are used conventional garden water hoses are normally carriedor dragged back to their place of storage and are stored on a reel orcoiled up upon themselves and laid on a flat surface. This requires timeto carry and drag the garden hose and to properly store the garden hoseand also requires an expense to purchase the garden hose reel. Thegarden hose 10 of the present invention automatically and quicklycontracts to its original place of storage and can then be easily foldedup, rolled up, or coiled up and stored in any container, even very smallcontainers, or on any surface, thus saving time and expense for theowner of the garden hose.

During the assembly of the garden hose in the preferred embodiment a tenfoot elastic inner tube member 14 in its relaxed or contracted conditionis inserted into the hollow interior of a 50 foot non-elastic outer tubemember 12. The ten foot inner tube member 14 and the 50 foot outer tubemember 12 all attached and secured together on a coupler at the firstend. The ten foot inner tube member 14 is then stretched or expandedthrough the hollow interior of the outer tube member 12 until theelastic inner tube member 14 is expanded 2-6 times its relaxed orcontracted length, at this point in the assembly process the expandedelastic inner tube member 14 and the non-elastic outer tube member 12are both clamped down and the inner tube member 14 and the outer tubemember 12 are both 50 feet long. The inner tube member 14, and the outertube member 12 and the expansion restrictor sleeve 26 are then attachedand secured together to the coupler at the second end while the gardenhose is still in the expanded condition. As previously stated, theelastic inner tube member 14 and the non-elastic outer tube member 12are only attached and secured together at the first end and the secondend. The inner tube member 14 and the outer tube member 12 are unsecuredalong the entire length of the garden hose between the first end and thesecond end. This allows the non-elastic outer tube member 12 to movefreely with respect to the inner tube member 14 along the entire lengthof the garden hose between the first end and the second end.

When the clamp is removed at the second end from the expanded 50 footelastic inner tube member 14 and the 50 foot non-elastic outer tubemember 12, the expanded elastic inner tube member 14 automaticallycontracts within itself back to its original relaxed length of ten feet.The length of the 50 foot non-elastic outer tube member 12 is alsoreduced to only ten feet in the contracted condition because when thestretched and extended elastic inner tube member 14 begins to contractfrom its expanded length, the unattached, unbonded, unconnected andunsecured soft fabric non-elastic outer tube member 12 catches on therubbery elastic inner tube member 14 material causing the outer tubemember 12 to automatically become folded, compressed and tightlygathered around the outside circumference of the entire length of thecontracted inner tube member 14. Thus, because the 50 foot non-elasticouter tube has many folds that are compressed and tightly gatheredaround the 10 foot contracted and relaxed inner tube member 14, thefolded, compressed and tightly gathered 50 foot outer tube member 12measures the same 10 foot length as the 10 foot contracted inner tubemember 14. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the outer tube member 12 isirregularly wrangled or cinched or shined in its contracted state.

When pressurized water is introduced into the elastic inner tube member14 in the contracted and relaxed condition, the elastic inner tubemember 14 begins to expand laterally and longitudinally and the outertube member 12 begins to unfold and uncompress around the circumferenceof the elastic inner tube member 14. Consequently, when the inner tubemember 14 expands to its maximum length of for example 50 feet, theouter tube member 12 unfolds, and uncompresses along the entire lengthof the inner tube member 14 until it reaches the same 50 foot length asthe inner tube member 14 in the expanded condition. Also, because theinner tube member 14 expands both longitudinally and laterally and itsexpansion is constrained by the non-elastic outer tube member 12, theinner tube member 14 fills all of the available space inside thenon-elastic outer tube member 12 and thus the surface of the unfolded,uncompressed outer tube member 12 becomes smooth in the expandedcondition as depicted in FIGS. 4, 6 and 9.

The garden hose in FIG. 9 is in its expanded condition after water underpressure has been introduced into the garden hose and the pressure andvolume of the water has increased inside the inner tube member 14. Theexpanded length of the garden hose 10 used in this example is now 50feet, 600 inches, or 15.24 meters. The volume of water within the gardenhose 10 is 0.943 gallons, 120 ounces, 3.569 liters, or 3180.64 cubiccentimeters. The outer circumference of the garden hose 10 is 2.12inches or 5.39 centimeters. The diameter of the outer tube member 12 is0.68 inches or 1.73 centimeters. The diameter of the inner tube member14 is 0.64 inches or 1.63 centimeters. The thickness of the wall of theinner tube member 14 is 0.031 inches or 0.079 centimeters. The thicknessof the outer tube member 12 is 0.031 inches or 0.079 centimeters. Thethickness of the outer tube member 12 remains the same in both theexpanded and contracted conditions. The material from which the innertube member 14 is formed can be any color. The garden hose in FIG. 8 isin its contracted condition and its dimensions are as follows. Thelength of the garden hose is 10 feet, 3.33 yards, or 3.05 meters. Thevolume of water within the water hose 10 is 0.025 gallons, 3.2 ounces,0.094 liters, or 94.635 cubic centimeters. The outer circumference ofthe garden hose 10 is 2 inches or 5.08 centimeters. The diameter of theouter tube member 12 is 0.4 inches or 1.02 centimeters. The insidediameter (ID) of the inner tube member 14 is 0.25 inches or 0.635centimeters. The outside diameter (OD) of the inner tube member 14 is0.375. The thickness of the wall of the inner tube member 14 is 0.125inches or 0.317 centimeters. The thickness of the outer tube member 12is 0.031 inches or 0.079 centimeters.

The outer tube member 12 is relatively smooth in the expanded condition,as seen in FIGS. 4, 6 and 9. This smooth surface enables the garden hose10 to be used and manipulated with relative ease. In addition, theexpanded elastic inner tube member 14 and the smooth surface of theouter tube member 12 prevent the garden hose from kinking. Also thesmooth surface enables indicia to be placed on the outer surface.Indicia placed on the outer tube member 12 can be concealed while thetube is in a contracted state, and become readable upon expansion. Anexample of this indicia is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, wherein thewords “XHose™” is placed on the outer tube member 12, when the gardenhose is in a contracted state such as FIG. 8 the indicia 13 cannot beread. When the garden hose is in an expanded state such as FIG. 9 theindicia 13 can be easily read. All types of indicia can be placed on theexterior of the outer tube member 12, such as letters, numbers,patterns, designs, and/or pictures. Any type of indicia that can beaffixed to the outer tube member 12 can be used. The indicia can be anycolor also including black or white. The material from which the outertube member 12 is formed can also be any color.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes water to filland expand the garden hose 10. Because the inner tube member 14 iselastic it can expand if the water within the tube freezes. For example,if a garden hose of the present invention were left outside in thewinter, the water contained therein would freeze causing an expansion. Aconventional garden hose would split due to the internal expansion, theflexible garden hose of the present invention would expand because theinner tube member is elastic without damage.

The present invention provides a unique method of transporting watercomprising: inserting an expandable elastic based hollow inner tubemember 14 having a first end and a second end into a soft non elasticbendable elongated outer tube member 12 having a first end and a secondend, securing a rotatable female inlet coupler 18 to said first end ofsaid inner and said outer tube members and a male outlet coupler 20 tosaid second end of said inner and said outer tube members, said innerand said outer tube members being secured to each other only at saidfirst and said second ends and unsecured to each other between saidfirst and said second ends forming a hose assembly; attaching a waterflow restrictor (21 or 25) to said male outlet coupler; connecting saidfemale inlet coupler to a conventional water spigot 23 and introducingpressurized water into said hollow inner tube through said female inletcoupler causing an increase in water pressure between said female inletcoupler and said male outlet coupler of said hose using said water flowrestrictor to regulate water pressure wherein said inner tube memberautomatically expands longitudinally along a length of said inner tubemember and laterally across a width of said inner tube member therebysubstantially increasing a length and width of said hose assembly to anextended condition and automatically contracting said hose assembly to asubstantially decreased or relaxed length by removing pressurized waterfrom between said female inlet coupler and said male outlet coupler.

All patents and publications mentioned in this specification areindicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which theinvention pertains. All patents and publications are herein incorporatedby reference to the same extent as if each individual publication wasspecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

It is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention isillustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangementherein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in theart that various changes may be made without departing from the scope ofthe invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to whatis shown and described in the specification and any drawings/figuresincluded herein.

One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the presentinvention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain theends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. Theembodiments, methods, procedures and techniques described herein arepresently representative of the preferred embodiments, are intended tobe exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changestherein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which areencompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by thescope of the appended claims. Although the invention has been describedin connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should beunderstood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited tosuch specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of thedescribed modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious tothose skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A garden hose comprising: a flexible elongatedouter tube member constructed from a soft non-elastic based materialhaving a first end and a second end, an interior of said outer tubemember being substantially hollow; a flexible elongated inner tubemember constructed from an elastic based material having a first end anda second end, an interior of said inner tube member being substantiallyhollow; an inlet coupler secured to said first end of said inner andsaid outer tube members, said inlet coupler defined by a female threadedcoupling section rotatably attached to a first threaded annular collarhaving a inlet tubular extension section extending therefrom andinsertable into a first open end of said inner tube member, said inletcoupler having a first ferrule member having an inner wall adapted forplacement over said first open end of said inner tube member, said firstferrule member insertable into a first open end of said outer tubemember, and a first collar member having a threaded inner surface forreleasable securement to said first threaded annular collar sealing saidfirst open end of said inner and outer tube member to said inlet tubularextension section allowing water to flow through said female threadedcoupling section into said first said inner tube member; an outletcoupler secured to said second end of said inner and said outer tubemembers, said outlet coupler defined by an outlet tubular extensionsection insertable into a second open end of said inner tube member,said outlet tubular extension section formed integral to a secondthreaded annular collar and a male threaded coupling section, saidoutlet coupler having a second ferrule member having an inner walladapted for placement over said second open end of said inner tubemember, said second ferrule member insertable into a second open end ofsaid outer tube member, and a second collar member having a threadedinner surface for releasable securement to said second threaded annularcollar sealing said second open end of said inner and outer tube memberto said outlet tubular extension section allowing water to exit saidinner tube member and flow through said male outlet coupler; a waterflow restrictor coupled to said male outlet coupling section, said waterflow restrictor including a means for restricting the flow of all waterthrough said inner tube member; whereby said water flow restrictorcreates an increase in water pressure between said inlet coupler andsaid outlet coupler within said hose upon the introduction ofpressurized water to expand said elongated inner tube memberlongitudinally along a length of said inner tube member and laterallyacross a width of said inner tube member thereby substantiallyincreasing a length of said hose to an expanded condition causing asmooth surface shape to said outer tube member wherein said hosecontracting to a substantially decreased or relaxed length when there isa decrease in water pressure between said inlet coupler and said outletcoupler causing said outer tube member to be irregularly wrangled in itscontracted state.
 2. The garden hose of claim 1 wherein said outer tubemember is made from a material selected from the group consisting ofnylon, polyester, or polypropylene.
 3. The garden hose of claim 1wherein said inner tube member is made from an elastic material with anelongation ratio which can expand up to six times its contracted orunexpanded length.
 4. The garden hose of claim 1 wherein said inner tubemember and said outer tube member are made from materials which will notkink or become entangled upon itself when said inner and said outer tubemembers are in their expanded condition.
 5. The garden hose of claim 1wherein said water flow restrictor is an on/off valve.
 6. The gardenhose of claim 1 wherein said water flow restrictor is a spray nozzlecapable of restricting the flow of water.
 7. The garden hose accordingto claim 1 wherein said inlet coupling section is a conventional femalegarden hose thread connector available for coupling to a householdspigot having pressurized water.
 8. The garden hose according to claim 1wherein said outlet coupling section is a conventional male threadedgarden hose connector available for attachment to a conventional spraynozzle.
 9. The garden hose according to claim 1 wherein each saidferrule is further defined as a collet having a cylindrical innersurface and a conical outer surface with at least one cuts along alength allowing said collet to operate a compression member.
 10. Thegarden hose of claim 1 including indicia on said outer tube member,wherein said indicia is recognizable when said hose is in an extendedcondition and said indicia is not recognizable when said hose is in aretracted condition.
 11. A method of transporting water comprising:inserting an expandable elastic based hollow inner tube member having afirst end and a second end into a soft non elastic bendable elongatedouter tube member having a first end and a second end, securing arotatable female inlet coupler to said first end of said inner and saidouter tube members and a male outlet coupler to said second end of saidinner and said outer tube members, said inner and said outer tubemembers being secured to each other only at said first and said secondends and unsecured to each other between said first and said second endsforming a hose assembly; attaching a water flow restrictor to said maleoutlet coupler; connecting said female inlet coupler to a conventionalwater spigot and introducing pressurized water into said hollow innertube through said female inlet coupler causing an increase in waterpressure between said female inlet coupler and said male outlet couplerof said hose using said water flow restrictor to regulate water pressurewherein said inner tube member automatically expands longitudinallyalong a length of said inner tube member and laterally across a width ofsaid inner tube member thereby substantially increasing a length andwidth of said hose assembly to an extended condition and automaticallycontracting said hose assembly to a substantially decreased or relaxedlength by removing pressurized water from between said female inletcoupler and said male outlet coupler.
 12. The method of transportingwater according to claim 11 wherein said inner tube member is elongatedat least two times its contracted or unexpanded length.
 13. The methodof transporting water according to claim 11 wherein said inner tubemember is elongated less than six times its contracted or unexpandedlength.
 14. The method of transporting water according to claim 11wherein said outer tube member constrains the lateral or radialexpansion and the longitudinal expansion of said inner tube member uponan increase of said water pressure between said first coupler and saidsecond coupler within said hose.